xi, 436 pages ; 24 cm

Entering into the renewed and sometimes confusing attempts to comprehend the work of Jesus of Nazareth and his person, Ben Witherington guides the reader through a vast complex of ancient documents and contemporary questions. He shows that Jesus' contemporaries viewed Jesus as a Jewish prophetic sage whose teaching and style were a reflection of the convergence of Hebrew wisdom and prophetic forms and ideas. Witherington traces the path of wisdom from its earliest manifestations in the Hebrew Bible to its importance in the work of Jesus and then to its apparent influence on the Christology of Paul and other New Testament writers. The result is a masterful contribution to scholarship, written with verve and clarity

Includes bibliographical references (pages 389-409) and index

Preface -- 1. Beginning the Journey: Drinking from the Fount -- Background and Foreground -- The Book of Meshalim: The Fountainhead -- Ecclesiastes: A Public Malaise -- 2. Wisdom at a Turning Point: From Ben Sira to the Wisdom of Solomon -- Wisdom Gains a Name: The Contributions of Ben Sira -- Spirit of Wisdom/Wisdom as Spirit: The Wisdom of Solomon -- 3. Hokmah Meets Sophia: Jesus the Cynic? -- The Legacy of Alexander in the Holy Land -- Non-Cynical Conclusions -- 4. Wisdom in Person: Jesus the Sage -- The Narrative Meshalim and a Theory of Language -- Figures of Speech: Jesus' Parables and Aphorisms -- Jesus: The Wisdom of God -- 5. Wisdom's Legacy: From Q to James -- Right on Q: Doubting Thomas -- Table 2: The Sapiential Agenda of Q -- James and Traditional Wisdom -- 6. Singing Wisdom's Praise -- Tuning Up -- The Servant Song: Philippians 2:6-11 -- Ode to the Cosmic Christ: Colossians 1:15-20 -- The Vindication Verse: 1 Timothy 3:16 -- The Radiance Reprise: Hebrews 1:2b-4 -- The Logos Hymn: John 1 -- 7. Paul the Apostle: Sage or Sophist? -- When Thought Worlds Converge: Eschatological Wisdom -- Wisdom on the Cross and the Wise Master-Builder: 1 Corinthians 1-4 -- The Christian Shema and the Christ of the Exodus: 1 Corinthians 8:10 and 2 Corinthians 3-4 -- With Faithfulness and Justice for All: Romans 1-2; 9-11 -- 8. The Gospels of Wisdom: Matthew and John -- Matthew and John: Different Sons of the Same Mother -- Matthew: A Word to the Wise -- John: The First and Last Word -- 9. Final Reflections on Wisdom's Journey -- Bibliography -- Scripture Index

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